


never known this kind of love

by gardevoirite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Flowers, Fluff, M/M, POV Keith (Voltron), Post S6, Pre-Kerberos Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:57:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15148688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gardevoirite/pseuds/gardevoirite
Summary: Shiro likes using flower metaphors. Keith likes indulging him.“It’s called the kadupul flower,” Shiro begins to explain. “It’s the most expensive flower in the world, and one of the rarest. It’s deemed priceless because it only blooms at night and withers by dawn.” He nudges Keith’s shoulder lightly. “Which is why it reminds me of you.”Which… okay, he’s lost. “I… die in the mornings? You’re the one who isn’t the morning person between us.”“What – no, no,” Shiro laughs, and he’s not entirely sure if he’s laughing at him, but he loves the sight so he’ll let it slide this once. “It reminds me of you because… well, you’re priceless. Rare. One of a kind. You’re really special to me, Keith.”





	never known this kind of love

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @shirothebeefygyro on tumblr for the Sheith Flower Exchange!! Hope you enjoy two boys being mushy and gross <3
> 
> Title from ‘Bullet’ by Ann Marr

“Shiro?”

  
“Yes, Keith?” Shiro asks, even though Keith is sure he knows exactly what he is about to say.

  
“You really woke me up in the middle of the night, snuck us out of the Garrison, and spent an hour driving to the desert… for a flower shrub.”

  
“And a picnic,” Shiro adds with a grin, giving him some containers from his bag. Keith opens one of them while Shiro’s busy putting a blanket down, and he’s relieved to find simple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. God knows the amount of times he’s had to sacrifice his stomach for Shiro’s less than stellar cooking skills.

  
“The one time you decide to break the rules without me or Matt to convince you, and it’s so we can eat sandwiches in the desert at 4 AM. Shiro, what are you up to?” He asks, because really. This is a little ridiculous, even by his standards. But Shiro’s smile changes, from giddy and excited to… nervous, almost scared, and Keith quickly adds in, “I mean, not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just a strange idea for a date, you know?”

  
Shiro laughs, but it’s not as loose as Keith would like it to be. “I gotta admit, I didn’t really plan this out as well as I wanted to. I just need to tell you something, and this is where I need to say it.”

  
“Okay? Go on, then.”

  
“Not right now. I, um-” there’s pink spreading across Shiro’s cheeks, visible from the moonlight and the stars, and Keith suppresses the urge to kiss him. “I had this whole plan where I tell you about it while the sun is rising, and I might have brought you here a little earlier than I wanted to, so. I can’t tell you yet.”

  
This dork. He can’t help the quiet laugh he lets out. “Fine, fine,” he relents. “Later, then. What are your plans until later comes?”

  
“Eat my gourmet sandwiches and stargaze?”

  
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he says, and Shiro grins and pulls him down so they can lie down on the blanket together.

  
He doesn’t know how much time passes while they talk and look at the scattering of stars above them, but eventually Shiro takes a glance at his watch, widens his eyes, and stands up, pulling Keith up with him. He brings Keith to the little shrub, only a couple feet away from where they settled. They sit in front of it, staring right at one of the white flowers.

  
Shiro takes in a deep breath as if psyching himself up, and lets it out, before he begins speaking. “To be honest, I was planning on giving you some flowers before I left for Kerberos. A flower that has some kind of meaning to it, so I can really express how much you mean to me without having to tell you. Especially because I know you’re not good with words. I spent a lot of time looking for a flower that can really tell you how important you are to me, but none of them felt really… right. Until I found this.”

  
When Keith takes a good look at it, it’s honestly not that spectacular. It’s very pretty in a simple, understated way, which is why Keith likes it. No flashy colors, no unique shapes, it just is. And he can start to understand why Shiro chose it.

  
“It’s called the kadupul flower,” Shiro begins to explain. “It’s the most expensive flower in the world, and one of the rarest. It’s deemed priceless because it only blooms at night and withers by dawn.” He nudges Keith’s shoulder lightly. “Which is why it reminds me of you.”

  
Which… okay, he’s lost. “I… die in the mornings? You’re the one who isn’t the morning person between us.”

  
“What – no, no,” Shiro laughs, and he’s not entirely sure if he’s laughing at him, but he loves the sight so he’ll let it slide this once. “It reminds me of you because… well, you’re priceless. Rare. One of a kind. You’re really special to me, Keith.” A glimpse of the sun is starting to appear in the horizon, and the light it’s giving is highlighting the red in Shiro’s cheeks. “I’d like to think whatever’s between us is special too.”

  
“O-Oh.” He says, because he doesn’t know what else to say. He believes that they have something special too – especially after everything Shiro has done for him, but hearing Shiro say it out loud makes his heart stutter and be filled with something sweet, something he can’t identify.

  
“You’re so important to me,” Shiro continues, taking hold of Keith’s hand. “I just want to tell you all this before I leave for the mission. The one thing we don’t have in common with the flower is that… whatever this is, it’s not going anywhere. If you’re willing to wait for me.”

  
Is he willing to wait for him?

  
For Shiro, who has sworn he will never give up on him, and kept true to his word? Who has turned his life around, who’s given him the most happiness he’s ever felt?

  
“I’ll wait forever for you,” he says, quietly but with everything he has. “You’re important to me too, Shiro. I can’t – I don’t think I can imagine the rest of my life without you in it.”

  
Shiro sighs in relief. “Good, because I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezes his hands, and Keith feels it in his heart.

  
The sun is rising steadily now, and when Keith looks back at the shrub, the kadupul flowers are already wilting, its petals drooping to the ground. It almost hurts to look at.

  
“We won’t be like that,” Shiro says confidently. “I’m with you forever, Keith. I promise.”

  
And, well, Shiro has never broken a promise to him before. And by the way he’s staring at Keith, he doesn’t plan on it.  
“I believe you.”

  
The sun has risen completely, and while the view is gorgeous, the way Shiro smiles at him outclasses it by far.

 

* * *

 

The second time he sees the kadupul, he wishes he could run it over with his bike.

Shiro was wrong. They were more similar to the flower than they thought. He should’ve known it wouldn’t last forever. Just looking at the plant makes him nauseous, makes him furious, because how could this universe take away the one good thing in Keith’s life?

  
He doesn’t run it over. It feels stupid, but something tells him Shiro wouldn’t be very happy if he did. Instead he sits beside the shrub, watches the flowers wilt when the sun starts to rise, and wishes he could stop crying.

 

* * *

 

“You’re free to wander as you wish, Paladins.” Allura said. “Coran and I will negotiate what supplies the Metsirians are willing to give us. They’ve given us a place to stay for the night too, so we won’t be leaving until tomorrow.”

  
“What about you, Princess?” Lance asks, hovering by her side as the rest of them look around the vibrant, life-filled planet. “You deserve to relax, too, y’know!”

  
“I’ll catch up with you all as soon as I am able,” Allura reassures him with a smile.

  
“I’ll have some of my guards guide you around, dear Paladins,” the empress (Keith has already forgotten her name, and he’s a little too afraid to ask again) says, and three of the guards surrounding her approach them. “I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay – I don’t mean to brag, but you will rarely find a planet as beautiful as Metsiri.”

  
“Where do you want to go?” He asks Shiro quietly. Pidge and Hunk are quickly led by a guard to look at some technological artifacts, while Lance and Romelle decide to wait for Allura and Coran to finish their meeting before heading out themselves. “Heard there’s a marketplace around here, and I think I have some GAC leftover. Think there’s a food festival too.”

  
“I honestly just wanna be somewhere peaceful,” Shiro admits with a laugh. “We’ve all been through a lot. I’d really like to be able to just… exist and not have to worry about anything.” The smile is starting to slip away from his face. “Which is kind of unrealistic these days, I know.”

  
Keith can’t blame his wishes, though. His heart hurts at the thought of everything Shiro has been through, from being captured to actually dying, and all he wants is for him to be able to rest for as long as he needs.

  
“If I may,” a tiny voice interrupts, and they look down at the guard assigned to them. “The royal garden is a very popular sightseeing destination. The flowers there have therapeutic effects, guaranteed to ease your worries away during your stay. I’d be happy to take you there if you wish.”

  
It seems exactly what Shiro needs, especially considering his love for flowers. “Sounds cool,” Keith says. “Shiro?”

  
“It’s a date,” Shiro announces, taking Keith’s hand. “Lead the way, sir.”

 

* * *

 

The garden is, indeed, one of the prettiest places Keith has ever seen. The leaves of the trees and hedges are golden, and the water in the pods seem to sparkle. The flowers range from tall stemmed with large petals to tiny clusters in bushes. The longer they stay, the more relaxed Shiro seems to become.

  
The planet’s sun is starting to set when they reach the center of the large garden. There a giant fountain stands proud, stone benches surrounding it. Shiro gratefully collapses on the seat, worn out from walking all afternoon, and he drags Keith down to sit beside him.

  
“You okay?” Keith asks, unable to disguise the concern in his voice. Shiro’s recovery since returning has been steady, but he also has a track record of pushing himself past his limits, and Keith is careful not to let him do it again.

  
“Yeah,” Shiro says, voice bright. “It’s a good kind of tired. If that makes sense.” He looks at Keith, smiling fondly. “Not a bad space date, if I do say so myself.”

  
“Better than eating your gourmet sandwiches?”

  
“Of course not,” Shiro says, feigning seriousness, and Keith snorts.

  
They fall silent at the sight of the planet’s sun setting, coloring the sky a deep orange, and this exact moment has Keith feeling strangely nostalgic.

  
“Keith,” Shiro calls, and Keith rips his gaze away from the sun to look at him. The smile is gone, replaced with a small but nonetheless heartbreaking frown. “I’m sorry I left you.”

  
“It’s not your fault,” Keith reassures him. “You were just doing your mission. And I got you back in the end, didn’t I?”

  
“I don’t mean just that,” Shiro says, voice quiet. He won’t meet Keith’s eyes. “I saw how much pain you went through when I died. You don’t know how many times I wish I could come back just so you know you were never alone.”

  
“That wasn’t your fault either,” Keith says, but just the memory of the months he had to endure without Shiro hurts him deep. “And you still came back. You always come back.”

  
“Only because I know you’ll find me. And I swear, if it’s in my power I’ll never leave your side again.”

  
“I promise I’ll never stop looking for you.” He leans on Shiro’s shoulder, squeezing his hand. “You never gave up on me, and I swear I’ll never give up on you either.”

  
He believes every word Shiro said, and he knows Shiro believes him too. Shiro rests his head on top of Keith’s, and Keith can’t help but think that this is it. That for the rest of his life, it will always be Shiro.

  
Suddenly there’s a flash of light from beneath them, and when they both look, there are glowing white flowers suddenly sprouting up and blooming around their feet. And he’s never seen any of the other flowers in this garden, but these seem… familiar.

  
The guard, who had been dutifully watching over them from afar, gasps. “Amazing… no one has ever made ibigiata bloom in decaphoebs!”

  
Shiro’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion as he asks, “Oh? Is it rare?”

  
“Oh, absolutely, sir! It’s one of the rarest in our planet! The ibigiata only blooms in the presence of true love!”

  
Keith freezes.

  
And suddenly, he remembers why the alien flower looks so familiar.

  
Maybe it’s a good thing he didn’t run over that kadupul bush after all.

  
“It never dies once it has bloomed,” the guard continues, enthusiastic. “We’ve long revered these flowers as a sign of love that triumphs over all. Oh, I can’t wait to tell the empress, she’s always wanted to see these up close-“

  
“Pardon me,” Shiro interrupts, “Is it alright if we take some of the flowers? As a souvenir from the planet?”

  
“Of course, of course! It is, after all, tangible proof of your love for one another. Just leave a few for the empress, please!” The guard looks at Shiro, then Keith, then back again before bowing. “I will leave you two alone for now. I can tell you wish to speak to one another privately. Simply calling my name will summon me if you wish to return.”

  
The guard disappears in a white flash. Keith chuckles. “Uh, we never really got his name, did we?”

  
Shiro laughs, loud and unrestrained, and Keith feels lighter than ever. “Well, hopefully Allura won’t leave us here tomorrow.” He holds out his hand. “Can you help me up?”

  
Keith stands up from the bench to help him up, and Shiro leads them both to sit on the ground, the ibigiata flowers blooming between them.

  
Shiro carefully picks one and holds it out to him. There are still crinkles in his eyes from his bout of laughter and now, the shy smile on his face. “I’d pick out a whole bouquet for you, but that’s a little hard with just one arm.”

  
Keith laughs despite himself, taking the flower from him. It really is beautiful, and a splitting copy of the kadupul back home. The only difference is the stem and the golden glow it radiates. He reaches out to tuck the flower behind Shiro’s ear.

  
“You look good,” Keith tells him, and feels his heart soften when Shiro’s cheeks turn bright red. The glow of the ibigiata makes Shiro’s gray eyes shine brighter, and matching white of the flower and his hair makes him look sweeter. Angelic.

  
Keith loves him.

  
“It never dies once it’s bloomed, huh?” Shiro asks with a laugh. “I always knew we would last forever.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> ‘Ibig’ means love in filipino ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
